The Russian Forward spoke to the Russian-Jewish community about party sentiments.

Julia Mazur, executive director of Russian-American Jews for Israel

I think the majority of Russian-Jewish immigrants support the Republican Party for the same reason that I do. Yes, we all came to the United States seeking democracy and freedom. But when it’s a question of life and death, the luxury of freedom recedes to the background and becomes less important. Today there’s a global war raging on. With this war, the Republicans can give our country a better chance to survive, even if we don’t win. You can like or dislike President George Bush, but you have to admit that he supports Israel more than any other U.S. president ever did. I think that he will continue to be loyal in the future, at least more loyal than John Kerry. This is very important to me and for our community.

Michael Tripolsky, journalist at the Russian Bazaar

After arriving in the United States, I studied thoroughly the history and political platforms of both main parties and I chose to join the Democrats. I cannot understand how Jewish immigrants can like the Republicans. The Republican Party is traditionally supported by a Christian coalition, and its spiritual leader, Pat Robertson, has emphasized that America is a Christian country and that Jews should not poke their noses into politics. Pat Buchanan, who thinks that the Jews concocted the Holocaust and that Zionists are in control of the U.S. Congress, was a Republican before joining the Reform Party. President Bush asked him to stay, emphasizing that he shares his views. Trent Lott and John Ashcroft are active members of the Council for Conservative Action, which clearly has an anti-Semitic stance. And in 2000, when George W. Bush won the presidential election, the leader of a white supremacist organization said: “At last, our guy will be in the White House and the power of the ‘kikes’ has come to the end.” That is why I don't believe that the Republican Party's current "flirtation" with the Jews and Israel is sincere; it is just a game. Besides, I am against the Republican's social policy. They constantly cut funds from social programs, try to prevent reforms in healthcare and don’t protect the environment.

At the beginning of the Russian-Jewish immigration, there were Republican tendencies among us. Novoe Russkoe Slovo called the Democrats a "the party of paupers and the scum of society," ignoring the fact that there are many wealthy people in the Democratic party. During the Clinton administration, this tendency started to change and many Russian Jews started to support the Democrats. I think that it happened not without the help of such papers as Russian Bazaar and the Russian Forward.

Ushangi Rizhinashvili, writer, philosopher

The majority of Russian-Jewish voters are registered Democrats and they support their party and think that the party traditionally defends the interests of the poor and the vulnerable, while Republicans defend the interests of the "moneybags." This is a superficial, primitive, and one-sided opinion. Republicans are not the party of the wealthy but a conservative party that tries to preserve traditional American values.

Besides, Republicans have a rational social policy; they do not try to take money from the rich and give it to the poor, they do not try to make everybody equal. I think that it is necessary to create a serious educational program for Russian-Jewish immigrants, to make them familiar with both parties' political platforms and with the views of various

politicians. Then they will understand that there are leftists, rightists and centrists in every party. Besides, it is quite common in the United States to cross party lines and not to vote for the party you are registered in, or to change a party altogether. This is not regarded as a betrayal or a compromising move. For me the position of the Republican Party is more acceptable nowadays, and I support them.

Inna Stavitzky, director of the refugee program at the Jewish Association for Services for the Aged

At first I did not join any party, but when I realizing that without a party affiliation I could not participate in the local primaries, I registered with the Democratic Party. I cannot say that its platform it totally acceptable for me, but you have to choose the lesser evil; Republicans are not acceptable for me at all, especially their leaders, who run for major political offices, in general support big business to the detriment of small business and common citizens. Besides, I am appalled by the Republicans’ hypocrisy. They always say that we are a country of individualists, that everyone can be a master of his/her destiny and can decide who to love and what to believe in. But their words do not coincide with their deeds. In reality, they intrude in the relation between Church and State, in the private lives of everyday Americans and our families, trying to impose their views and their laws on us, like the laws against abortion. Republicans are against the idea of personal freedom – the very idea that made America so attractive to us Soviet Jews. As for our community, I think the majority of the elderly are Democrats, while among younger people there are more Republicans.

Oleg Gutnik, co-chairman of PRAVO, a political organization

I joined the Republican Party in 1985 and have been a Republican ever since; its ideology and principles are close to my personal views on life and society. First of all, there is the principle of self-reliance: Everyone should use his or her own capacities fully, without looking for help from the government. (Of course, I don't mean the elderly or the disabled.) Like the majority of the Republicans, I think that in a free society there should be minimal participation by "big government" in business. By the way, independence in business was one of the main reasons for us coming to America. I also think that for the economy to grow, we need to cut, not raise, taxes. Finally, I think that traditional family values are the basis of a healthy society.

I also made my choice of party based on the fact that President Ronald Reagan, the destroyer of the "Evil Empire," was a Republican. The political tendencies in our community reflect the general tendencies in the United States. One can get a sense for this tendencies from a recent article published in the New York Times. In 1979, 22 percent of Americans were registered Republicans, while 39 percent were registered Democrats. In 2004, 29 percent are Republicans while 33 percent are Democrats.

Elena Averbuch, social worker

I think that the majority of Russian-Jewish immigrants choose their party for their own particular reasons. Many of us, like typical Soviet citizens, choose the party that is currently in power. During Reagan administration, everybody joined Republican Party; during the Clinton years, they were Democrats. Now, people are again joining the Republican Party. There are people who always follow their relatives, friends and neighbors in order not to be different. Others, on the contrary, choose a party to be different. Unfortunately, there are conservative, aggressive and intolerant people in our community. Were it not for the fact that the Democrats support social programs, I think the majority of us would join the Republican Party. Our people disapprove of the very quality that the Democrats espouse and that is attractive to me: respect for people with nontraditional views and for minorities. The paradox is that we ourselves are a minority – Jews as well as immigrants – but we tend to forget.